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Blossom

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Everything posted by Blossom

  1. Very much enjoyed my unplanned visit to the ROH this afternoon to see Lamb/McRae - and I'm a new convert to SCS having had the most perfect spot in the block just to the right of the light box. Loved seeing the Lamb/McRae partnership, they were wonderful together. The partnership I particularly enjoyed though was James Hay and Bennett Gartside who I think are my favourite pairing so far (having seen Whitehead/Acri and Arestis/McNally). They were danced elegantly with just the right balance of slapstick - and I understand that this is exactly the note they had hoped to hit with this production. This made Act 1 even better than previous viewins. Itziar Mendizabel was also a beautiful Fairy Godmother - I think it's the first time I've seen her back on stage since before Covid/her baby. The production as a whole grows on me with each viewing. It is made for the 21st century and I do believe that the designs and colour will attract audiences who may not have considered traditional ballet before (if only some better images and if possible video could be used to garner interest - either they had no budget for creative or there has been some ongoing embargo). Every time I notice an extra little detail. Lovely to meet @Dawnstar (hope you enjoyed the evening performance). Spotted Francesca Hayward's grandparents on my way out this afternoon, so a special performance for her this evening.
  2. Interesting to note that the bar hasn’t been as busy as usual - so likely an impact of not getting ticket pricing right
  3. They are definitely open today- I called about returns for the matinee as well as checking the seat map online!
  4. My opinion is that there were 2 key issues, one exacerbated the other:- Only one ‘creative execution’ which wasn’t the best thing to sell the ballet in the first place and certainly wore out very quickly. Prices for top price seats not only exceeded a sensible top end value which people would pay, but unlike other theatres and companies does not like to be perceived to offer discounts, so ended up largely selling the unsold tickets at a below-floor price, rather than creating increased public demand and perceived value. The 25% Friends discount on a small number of performances to a select Friends audience appears to have come too late for most.
  5. Husband taking kids to Thorpe Park today so thrilled to have nabbed a last minute SCS ticket for the matinee- joy of living in London! Edit: Also costs less than Thorpe Park and I will be nice and dry in comparison!
  6. Feltz and Hammond should clearly be banned from attending musicals.
  7. Looking for either SCS or the Balcony loose stools row C24-27 or C58-63. can take 1 scs but could take 2 balcony stools.
  8. Had similar thoughts, but according to the programme, I think this attendant was supposed to be a dandelion...
  9. I suppose I should be glad I have it on DVD to enjoy then! Hopefully the revisions won't be too major. I can imagine what some of them might be...
  10. Not sure about predictions but my wish list would be:- Ashton triple - perhaps for Christmas if we get a winter triple- including Les Patineurs. Otherwise loved the last Christmas triple which included Winter Dreams. Can’t recall what the last piece was… Alice (with reasonable prices to take my son) Anastasia full length (I won’t be seeing Act 3 in summer due to the rest of the mix). Ashton full length- Sylvia and or Fille ( re: sensitivities, it’s a great ballet and would be a travesty not to perform it, that’s like saying Don Q shouldn’t be performed due to the foppish suitor). Would always love to see Bayadère again soon, the RB production is my favourite and they did do some work to cover cultural sensitivities last time. Highlight of last run was being in the Clore studio for the insight watching Natalia Makarova rehearse- was a bit star struck.
  11. A few thoughts:- 1. Not sure if I remember this correctly but wasn’t the barrier to mounting Cinderella again something to do with the design? Perhaps this explains the investment in a new version. Was Wendy Ellis-Soames the barrier? 2. One thing which really concerns me outside of this forum is that classical ballet and the best of the Royal Ballet tradition with Ashton is becoming a bit lost to the general public. What the designs really achieve is a modernity which will hopefully bring more people through the doors with a familiar story and a look which won’t feel of an ancient world or a dying art form. I don’t remember what the designs were like in 2010 which is the last time I saw Cinderella (when ballet at the ROH was a very occasional treat), but with the acceleration of technology in theatre as a whole since then, the world has definitely changed. I don’t like absolutely everything design/costume wise (I didn’t realise the dandelion with spring was a dandelion until I had read the relevant article in the programme) but there is a lot of very clever detail and I particularly adore the look of Act 2 from the costumes to the set design. 3. I have been watching the Sibley/Dowell DVD and note the longer length ball gowns and long sleeves for ladies. Current costumes seem to be a marked improvement in terms of being able to better watch footwork and port de bras. From seeing a video of the fairies from a more recent production (Morera was autumn and Yanowsky winter) I don’t much like their Act 1 costumes, or the fairy godmother’s- and much prefer the costumes from Sibley’s day!
  12. I watched the 2003 fairies on YouTube when I got home from Cinderella last night. I think Spring is similar in colour if a leaner design in act 1. Autumn is lovely and I think I do quite like the windswept hairdo - it makes sense. It’s only really summer which is particularly bright. All of the colours look good on stage though and it lifts the dancers from their background more so than in the previous version. I also think that the effect of the costumes, sets and lighting is much more modern and is a bit more Matthew Bourne like from that perspective. The colour and boldness may well be more interesting for new audiences which I am all for. I am wondering how the lighting and effects will show up on screen at the cinema - will have to wait for the encore performance for that.
  13. Another gorgeous night with some lovely performances. I was particularly thrilled to see Liam Boswell as the Jester and he did not disappoint. Was lovely to see Annette Buvoli as fairy godmother after seeing her rehearse. I much preferred act 1 this evening, unsure if it’s because the sisters are less of a caricature danced (brilliantly) by Christina Arestis and Kristen McNally, if it’s because I am watching the action from a different level (stalls tonight) or if it’s just because I am more familiar with the designs, which looked much more subtle from down there. Francesca Hayward was beautiful to watch although I don’t care what Mark Monaghan says, I much preferred Yasmine Naghdi’s act 2. It was lovely to see her paired with Alexander Cambell again, it’s been a while since I have seen them dance together. Hopefully the production itself will continue to get better each time I watch!
  14. Cinderella | Cast List | 30.03.2023 7:30 PM (roh.org.uk) Casting up for tonight - looking forward to Liam Boswell as Jester - and the ladies playing the stepsisters!
  15. The end of the article reminds me of my visit to To Kill a Mockingbird last week. Pouring with rain and had to stand on the doorstep while 3 different bag checkers had an issue with some uneaten gluten free food I had in my bag which i had never intended to eat in the theatre. The reason they gave for this was beyond ridiculous (it might get contaminated if it was opened). I started wondering if their concern was that I might throw it towards the stage - no other risk posed.
  16. I’ve just ordered the last recording of Ashton’s Cinderella so I can compare!
  17. Tonight had a lot to live up to as there were 6 of us, one had never seen a ballet before and one is a costume maker in progress who might just fall in love with ballet costume making! Absolutely loved act 2, it was a combination of perfect Ashton and as described here and/or in reviews, a perfect homage to Petipa. I enjoyed the detailed steps, the classical structured elements of the ballet including the pas de deux and most of all, I think Naghdi and Ball nailed the moment of love at first sight. They were really believable in contrast to some of the more critical reviews from first night. It was absolutely dreamy and this is the act which could be performed on its own as part of a triple bill. The set was also beautiful without being overdone- and while the sisters may not have been beautiful, they were also pitched just right here. Act 3 also worked well in terms of narrative, just the right amount of panto dames and really enjoyed the classical structure of the final scene which reminded me of the grand ending of Sleeping Beauty where the cast come together to make a beautiful vignette. The transition of the set from Cinderella’s house to the final staircase was beautifully choreographed although I am not too sure about some of the video technology. Which brings me back to act 1. Too much panto slapstick for me and really interested to see how tomorrow will play out with female sisters. I was waiting and waiting for some ‘proper’ dancing and it wasn’t really until Mayara Magri appeared as the fairy godmother that I really managed to settle in and enjoy it as ballet. She was just perfection and also particularly enjoyed Ashley Dean as Spring. i did find that the video projections were somewhat unnecessary and distracting- there was too much to focus on all at once when really I wanted to focus on the gorgeous choreography. The one projection/background which seemed to really work was for winter- because of its simplicity. The use of lighting for summer was exceptionally effective- it really looked like summer sunshine. I also would echo the comment from someone earlier in the thread who mentioned that the story telling was a little lacklustre - some because it just hadn’t been planned into the plot, but potentially also in terms of how the characters were conveyed. One of my guests came from a very different early life and was not familiar with the story at all so this really stood out. The corps de ballet were fabulous throughout- and the secret star of the show was the dancing wig in act 2! A thoroughly dreamy night and can’t wait for it all again tomorrow night with Hayward/Campbell. I just hope they can match tonight’s brilliance!
  18. Also here for Naghdi/Ball with a group including 2 newbies! The most people I have ever brought in a single trip! Will be alone tomorrow night if anyone is around then - the intervals are particularly long!
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